Wednesday, November 17, 2010

I, like many of you, view "top surgery" as the misogynistic mutilative butchery that it is, but if you have viewed any female bodied person posting pictures or videos of their "top surgery" regardless of the worst possible scenario, what we find in the comments section by both transmen and soon to be transmen is blind support. Its a combination of comments such as "your chest looks great bro" or "Love your chest man, can wait to get mine done". These distorted pro responses do two things, they reinforce the decision of the one who had the "top surgery" and they encourage those who havent had or are unsure to get "top surgery".

Like others who have BDD's the trans sufferers inner eye doesnt coincide with the reality of what is actually being viewed. This inner image is very much in the same vien of the inner eye of the anorexic and begins very similarly. The anorexic starts off just wanting to lose a few pounds, she does, and those around her respond with praise and positive messages. She hears "you've lost weight, you look so good" or "god I wish I could lose weight like you, you look great". This positivity urges her on, she looks to the web to help her continue her weight decline, she finds pictures and videos on pro-ana sites where she over doses on extreme ideas of thinness to the point her inner eye can no longer recognize healthy weight from near death weight. All the comments on the pictures of adult bodied young women weighing 73 pounds or 67 pounds are supportive and positive. These skeletal figures become bodies to emulate, anything less, equals fat and fat equals in her mind, bad. Even after young women reach these deadly weight, they look in the mirror and still see that they have fat on their carcasses.

When we immerse ourselves with (negative) images, bombard our mind over and over and over again, we can literally corrupt the minds eye to the point that what is seen pales to the reality of what is. Like anorexics who glut themselves on the images of skeletons till that picture of death becomes normal to them. We see this too in the trans trenders and other transmen who binge on "top surgery" pictures and videos till the mutilated scared chests of the female body become "normal", therefore something to strive for and seek out.

67 comments:

I wonder, if Michael Jackson would have had his own freedom to body mod himself - bleaching his skin (vitiligo my ass), changing his black nose 20 times, putting silicone in his skin and whatever else he did - denied, would he be happier now? Would he be still alive?If an anorexic said to others "You can't understand the pain tied to my condition, and the reasons I'm having transskinny surgeries!", she would probably be hospitalized. But transsexuality MUST NOT be questioned, or else you are transphobic, patronizing, rude, ignorant (while I've read pretty much every single trans publication), and malignant, because I clearly wish all the evils of the world upon transpeople.

There's a difference here. Gender dysphoria is a mental illness, but no one wants to acknowledge it, because saying trans people are mentally ill is "transphobic and bigoted." Anorexia, too, is a form of dysphoria, the anorexic doesn't feel like she belongs in her """fat""" body (morbidly skinny) and wants to do everything she can to change it. Luckily, anorexics can be cured, because it's a type of induced dysphoria and not one you're born with. Trans people, if anyone would want to help them, could be cured too. Just like any other mental illness that has a cure, all that would be needed would be to develop a little pill that made the mental illness go away. Unfortunately, in the PC world we live in, it would be seen as "unethical, intolerant and transphobic" so no one dares to help. Plus, all those surgeries are really costy, it creates many more jobs and fattens paychecks at the end of the month. As stupid as it is, the only reasons we don't have a cure for gender dysphoria yet is because of PC culture and the bait of gain. I swear, if someone had the guts to create a cure, I'd give him all my cash and pay the max price to pop that pill in my mouth every morning, no questions asked.

I mean, anorexia leads to horrible health problems that could lead to ACTUAL DEATH. I mean, isn't that extreme to say the least??

Trans people, wether they have undergone top surgery or not, feel desolated in our society. Imagine if you had been born in a body that is opposite to your current gender, that would be totally humiliating, uncomfortable and it would cause you pain. It's not about being gay or not. Trans people are totally different than gay people.

You see, while gay people are interested in same sex relationships, trans people are interested in the different sex relationships, but have been born in a body that do not represent them. It may be a concept a bit abstract to grasp at a first glance and I also admit that I am not a professional in this area, as I myself am not trans, so, I can only picture by empathy tras people's suffering.

I guess that the point of this extensive comment is that I don't get where this hate comes from. In many cases, top surgery can be a life saving action because it surely affects the psychological side of people who to undergo it positively. Once you get that weight of your chest (pun not intended), you are finally free to be you. Isn't that great?? Can you imagine how healing that could be to people who have suffered serious depression because they thought that they didn't belong? For people who have been fighting their whole lifes against something that did not represent them?

This surgery does not cause any health problems. Nobody is being forced to do it. When you get mad at positive comments in youtube that refere to healthy happiness you ARE being intolerant, unethical and transphobic. I am sorry, but we can not deny it any longer. This is the EXACT meaning of what transphobia is.

Lets spread love, not hate. If people are happy, healthy and are not harming other people, just let them be. I do aprove top surgery and I hope this has been read in a serious way. Do consider this as actual arguments and think about again. Opinions are a individual right, but can always change depending on the arguments we find that can destroy them or support them.

obs: I don't mean to offend anybody and I am sorry for any gramatical, coherent or cohesive mistakes, as english is not my first language...

There are a couple computer-generated, age-progressed images of Michael Jackson floating around on the internet that show what he might have looked like at 50 without all the plastic surgery. They're based on his childhood photos, and they show a good-looking, perfectly normal, middle-aged man. And all he would have had to do to be that guy in real life was leave himself alone. It might have left him some time to get help for his other problems, too.

which I realize now is just another angle from which viewing the same, fundamental problem : dysmorphia.And as cosmetic/plastic surgery WILL become more common in the following years, it can't but increase in numbers.

Dysphoria: mental illness, feeling of unease and unbelonging regarding one's life, identity or appearance. Dysmorphia: mental illness, when someone's view of himself/herself is not the reflection of what he/she really is.

If trans people suffered from dysmorphia, they wouldn't need any surgery, because they would be content with the way they think they look. Seeing yourself as higher than what you really are is not dysmorphia, it's called having a huge ego.

I am completely ok with my scars on my chest, and the journey they represent. I have never seen what you'd like to think I do when I look in the mirror.... I don't see a bio man with perfect abs and a scarless, perfect chest. I am happy that I'm not a bio male. Im happy that I've now walked both paths and am a better husband and father for it. You people don't have enough hate in your combined beings to combat my inner resolve and pride in who I am and the life I've made for myself. I'm sitting in a cafe tonight amongst other Transmen as well as open minded, proud lesbians who are confident enough in who they are not to be bothered by what everyone else is doing, getting ready to watch Coyote Grace perform live... and life couldn't be any better. Too bad you're all so full of anger and hate and self doubt to just enjoy the diversity of our community. I pity you.

If you were as "happy" as you claim, you wouldn't be here and you certainly wouldn't have ever heard of me. Clearly you are unhappy and hate your body still, scars and all. Commenting on this blog isnt going to change that bennie.

Since you suffer from the narrow mindedness trans disorder and cannot see past your own tiny little place on the planet, I'm here to tell you, there is this thing called THE BIG PICTURE.

Stop the navel gazing for 5 minutes, and maybe, just maybe you'll have the most base idea about what this blog is actually about.

You can't tell him if he's happy or not. Are you ftm transgender? No? If you were, maybe you'd understand. Most men would rather have two scars on their chest than blobby meat sacks because it results in less dysphoria. Others don't. It's fine either way. As for the reason he's here, he probably came across it while web browsing. That's how I found it. Buuut... I don't know. I'm not him

Dear Dirt,I'd like to set the record straight on this. Firstly it is very easy to find this blog as I stumbled upon it investigating about ftm top surgery since someone close to me plans on getting it here soon. Secondly as I doubt you are a psychologist you can't tell Ben how he is or isn't feeling especially using such a flimsy argument. Thirdly how is Ben being narrow minded when he is simply expressing how he feels on the matter? I hope anyone who reads this be it Dirt or anyone else can find it in your heart to open your mind and see things from the other side of the spectrum from your own.~Mal

you sound like a cunt! As in ... a fucking bitch. Maybe people get this surgery for themselves. I'm sure it has nothing to do with what others think.. news flash loser, people live life for what they want, and what makes them happy. Who are you to say what's right or wrong. Go fuck yourself.

honestly kill ur self you don't understand how top surgery makes trans men and it is definitely not the same thing as anorexia. Keep your close minded, bigoted, transphobic opinions out of our lives bitch.

You know who also insists that feminists hate men everytime the subject is centered firmly on the harmful behavior of men? Misogynists, that's who. Claiming we "hate" trans trenders (GREAT TERM!) is just another way of changing the subject. TheBewilderness would like a word with you:

This is a cheap transparent trick to change the subject from the behavior of men, to the feelings of women. Every time you hear the term hate used in this fashion it is always a cheapass way to change the subject. Serious people do not like to be manipulated in the style of political operatives.

Men rape women.Why do you hate men.

Porn hurts women.Why do you hate sex.

Do you see the shift from the behavior of the perp to the feelings of the victim? You can see it any time you like on the cable news networks, where that crap passes for discussion.It does not pass here.

End quote. Srsly, repeatedly manipulating the subject away from "transgenderism is harmful" to "oh those evil feminists hate us" rather than actually refuting the criticism indicates a PATTERN OF HABITUAL DISHONESTY. Or stupidity. Take your pick cos there literally ain't any other option.

Did you know that the kids (high school and middle school)wear bracelets that represent their self-harm behaviors? Red beads are for Pro-Ana (Anorexia), and orange beads are for Cutting/Self-Injury. Cutting is becoming very common. There are even kids doing it on the school grounds at our daughter's high school. Some of them say they like to do it for the endorphin rush.

Beads like the ones you mentioned are worn not to advocate for self injury or eating disorders but to raise awareness about them. Cutting is becoming very common, you are correct, but you cannot continue to chalk up such destructive behaviors as being a trend. There are deeper reasons why these things are happening. Cutting does give the person doing it an endorphin rush because that is the body's reaction to the pain. This causes the cutting to become addictive and makes it hard for the child to stop. Much like someone with a drug or alcohol problem, people who self harm on a regular basis are addicts. This is not in their control. It would be unreasonable to ask or expect them to be able to stop

I've noticed that it's generally the most self-righteous, hate-filled individuals who talk the most loudly about love and compassion, and the most intolerant and conformist who talk the most loudly about how much they love diversity, community, etc., etc., etc. Genuinely decent people don't pretend to be filled with love for the whole wide world (except for those bad, nasty, evil folks who don't 100% subscribe to their worldview). For one thing, it involves too much self deception.

If you were talking about me (I'm not sure of it and if this was not your intention then disregard the rest of this post), then say it straight. I have lots of personal defects but one great virtue as well: honesty with myself and others, which was reinforced by the scientific mindset I was grown in. If anything, I've stopped "self-deceiving" me and others witht the (initially painful) realization about not being trans but just confused. I also have no problems whatsoever with people not agreeing with me, that's the beauty of real, civil discussion - I have problems with people attacking me with rude remarks or just bashing what I wrote when they didn't even read it (as my Italian professor would say, you can't bash something you haven't even read, or believe something you don't even understand [he was talking about religion])! I don't think I ever acted in a rude way towards trans people (if you think so then please show me the exact quote).

I also think your initial consideration is faulty as well - Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Osamu Tezuka are ot were very vocal at proclaiming their love for the world and the diversity in it.

Bluetraveler, I'm not sure why you construed my post (at 10:38pm) as being directed at you. It was a comment on Ben's passive-aggressive statements about the wonders of conflict-free queer diversity.

I admire your posts and the way you address these issues. Like you, I do not wish individual trans people harm, or second-class status. I simply disagree with the ideologies promoted by a large segment of the trans movement.

However, at the risk of being horribly patronizing, I am nearly twice your age, and I have had a LOT of exposure to members of idealistic radical movements, mostly hard left, or "queer." Because of this exposure, I do not admire "love and peace, diversity and community" language of the kind Ben has been using here. My observation is that such language usually masks a great deal of animosity; it can also be a sign that the speaker is living in a fantasy world.

As for Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Nelson Mandela (don't know enough about Osamu Tezuka to comment): I consider them all effective activists, but not deep thinkers. Yep, I just said that about Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. Mandela? Intelligent, an inspiring leader, but not a philosopher. Another thing about all these people: history pushed them into situations where they had to play larger-than-life roles. It's not surprising that they'd make universalizing, larger-than-life statements. At particular historical moments, those statements have been rhetorically effective in mobilizing large numbers of people, but that doesn't mean they're realistic or true.

When ordinary people, who are not called to act on the world stage, start making Gandhi-like, universal statements, it's usually a sign that they don't have a good handle on life's stubborn little realities.

I hope this clears up the misunderstanding, although I realize I have probably thoroughly pissed you off. Oh well, c'est l'interwebz.

"Srsly, repeatedly manipulating the subject away from "transgenderism is harmful" to "oh those evil feminists hate us" rather than actually refuting the criticism indicates a PATTERN OF HABITUAL DISHONESTY. Or stupidity. Take your pick cos there literally ain't any other option.

November 17, 2010 7:22 PM"--------------Total dishonesty/Lying or Stupidity/Unconsciousness. It's really hard to tell which sometimes. The indoctrination into the trans rhetoric is like joining a group social lie.

@BlueTraveler I think that Anon was referencing Bob's post above. The one where she says she is writing from a trans cafe with her trans friends watching a trans concert and having the most transtastic time of her life celebrating her i.d. of manliness and being "better" than real men, a wonderful time so fantastic that she just needed to take a time out to read a radfem blog and post to us about her happiness and lecture us that critical thought is morally wrong.If I was having such a wonderful time out on the town I would not be thinking about some fucking blog. In fact, here is the number of times that I as a Lesbian have visited websites or blogs critical of lesbianism: ZERO.ZERO TIMES. If I was sitting at an Indigo Girls concert checking on blogs I felt were saying antigay things on my iphone? Seeeeerious issues there.

A Jewish Rabbi is required to discourage and refuse a potential convert at least 3 times. He will tell you've made a mistake, you're not Jewish and you don't need to be Jewish in order to live right. He will encourage you to abandon those thoughts about being Jewish and will likely be a no show to a scheduled meeting at least once. He will if he's following the Torah, anyway(and if he's not, why would you want him to convert you?). Really it's probably impolite to explain all this because I don't think you're supposed to see it coming. ;-) Eventually the Rabbi will begin the conversion process for the determined person, but he'll continue to discourage the convert periodically. That may not seem significant, but it is. I'm not making a religious statement really--I just wonder if the same care is taken when someone marches into a Dr. or therapist or online support group with claims they are in the wrong body. What if a majority of people started saying "You are NOT"? It seems if you do that to someone alleging they are transgender, the automatic assumption is oh you discriminate. Just for questioning. Why would anyone take anything seriously from someone who doesn't challenge you? I think this is as much a part of "give me now" culture as anything.

Re Ben's comment, Anon @ 2:49 PM articulated it better than I ever could have myself:

If I was having such a wonderful time out on the town I would not be thinking about some fucking blog. In fact, here is the number of times that I as a Lesbian have visited websites or blogs critical of lesbianism: ZERO.ZERO TIMES.

If I was sitting at an Indigo Girls concert checking on blogs I felt were saying antigay things on my iphone? Seeeeerious issues there.

For the anonymous who wrote at 10.38 pm: I'm sorry, I thought it must have been directed at me because I have received such critiques on my blog and elsewhere, and most of the times they were said obliquely. Sorry again.

Osamu Tezuka was a great man, but since he based his positions on buddhism mainly I don't know if you'd consider him a great thinker.

I have had the experience described by eccentricity with regard to transition - being strongly dissuaded and given alternative options, on numerous occasions, and each time I've taken those seriously and tried to follow the advice taken, and each time I've returned to a male identity.I've been lucky. The NHS process in the UK is tough but doesn't dissuade that much, but I found a counsellor who pushes and challenges.

Dirt, I have to say I found you on youtube 6 weeks ago and had to tell my wife about you (butchmystique) I am very impressed by your blog site and truly glad that someone has the guts to say what is TRUE!! It IS becoming a trend and needs to be said!!

That being said; my beautiful butch wife has had a impact on many of the baby butch community and has potentially talked a 21 year old out of the trend. She texted us after the talk and told us "thank you for the information" later on.

That may be a good idea. I am still concerned that if the client needs the therapist's approval, and the therapist is discouraging the client, then the client is more likely to keep quiet about doubts, take on hyperfemininity or hypermasculinity, and assert the desire for surgery as soon as possible.

That gets in the way of honest discussion, and that attitude can also aggravate body issues and other issues.

It is important for anyone to see her body as her own. Even if she or he can't quite do that before transition, he or she needs to learn to do that during transition, as much as possible; surgery won't do that for her or him.

I watched a video by an FTM that said bio people who feel decieved by trans people when they are unaware of the persons actual sex before getting into a relationship are the ones who have a "problem", not the trans person.

I'll also note that this woman had a full beard and moustache, top surgery, uses a packer (aka, a dildo) "identifies as male" and wants to be called male pronouns.

Keep on keeping on, and I go for the full figured gal anyway....I don't like skin and bones or skeletal types...not only reminds me of anorexics but crack or meth addicts as well, the rail thin look.

But you're right, it's a very narcissitic movement, and the boyz bolster each other up, to go one more step, one more step, sharing tips on how to pack daily, how to wear those rubber bands around their breasts and where to get them, how to 'pass' as male, how to dress as male, what haircut to have to look male, and NOT like a Butch dyke, yet they want to crash every single Lesbian space???????

It is a total mirror narcissitic obsession that as you've pointed out is a disease peculiar to the entire trans community, on either side.....body self hatred, body obsession, whether FTM or MTF.

It is a movement based on fantasies and smoke and mirrors. I made that mistake only once, thinking someone was a bio-female and found out they were not. When I found out, I was very pissed off, and it fucked me up in the head for two weeks. People don't like being fooled, and if it's truly an HONEST movement, then BE HONEST, ESPECIALLY with intimate partners, otherwise you're living a fucking lie.

I mean coming out as a Dyke is all about coming into who I am as a womon loving womon, same as coming into going from tomboy to Butch....but the Trans movement is the exact opposite, it's about going BACK in the closet about one's background, one's past, one's life, and lying and decieving just about everyone around you in an attempt to 'pass'.

Well. You know what? I'm almost to the point of cutting off my breasts myself. They disgust me. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel.I don't care how they'd look. I just don't want them. At all. They feel like knives in my damned SOUL.So when you get all the potatoes out of your ears and decide to listen to some of us, let me know who did that boy's surgery so I can avoid them. It wasn't very well done at all.

As a follow up, you may find interesting to document the growing trend of FTM who had top surgery and decided afterwards to have a chest tattoo..."i just picked﻿ the best tattoo artist in my area and asked him what he could do to cover my scars. i actually didnt want a chest piece, but my scars made me feel too uncomfortable to be shirtless so it didnt matter too much what it was. im really happy with it now tho and i think it actually ended up looking better with a tatt than without "

It was written by a FTM on this Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ALionsFears

I've been swept into the trans world. Ive started on T and ive already had my top surgery. I do not pass as a male because personally i believe i am too cute as a female to have such strong features. I look too young for my age as it is. But i went to the post about yaoi, and i saw all the tomboys and how beautiful they are! and i am and can be just like them. I wanted a deeper voice and maybe a few face pewbs but... i come here frequently, sometimes i get offended by what dirt has to say but then i think its because something inside of me wants to hear it. Im not sure yet.

I have never seen a photo before of a FtoM who has had top surgery. Looking at this it makes it so obvious it is mutilation. I feel so sad that all these women, most of whom are lesbians, mutiliate their bodies in this way. Life as a lesbian can be great - I really wish some of these FtoM's had had a chance to find that out for themselves.

You are a STUPID, STUPID, pathetic, ignorant sexist piece of shit and I hope you die a horrible agonizing death in front of loved ones, hopefully children who will be so scared by the even that generations after you will have learned something positive from your mistaken existence.

It's not about misogyny, the only thing transmen hate about females is that fact that our bodies are female. THATS IT, you drooling neanderthal.We're not in denial, we are not blind like retarded ass anorexics, we KNOW there are scars, and we KNOW things don't look fucking perfect- when we say positive things about a fellow transman's post-surgery pics that's called BEING FUCKING NICE (something you OBVIOUSLY have never heard of). We're being SUPPORTIVE, in a world with BRAINDEAD ass-scratching monkeys like you who do everything they can to tear us down and make us feel bad (all probably because you hate YOURSELVES but you're too COWARDLY or LAZY to do anything about it, unlike US.), we are helping each other out.

You really should just go kill yourself, I hate you. I wish you were dead. I wish every ignorant, NOSY (because what people do with their body is THEIR business, not yours you uppity piece of shit)

Get your own motherfucking life and stay out of the lives of others OR, even better, PLEASE just go DIE because there is ENOUGH human trash floating around, and every time an ignorant, prejudiced piece of shit does the rest of us a favor by removing themselves from the planet an angel gets it's fucking wings.

2488You are an ignorant, prejudiced piece of human trash and the world would be better off without you and EVERYONE like you.

Please do the rest of us a favor and die. You will probably be missed, but only by those stupid enough to keep your company. You have nothing of value to offer the world, and only bad things come from you.

If you want to make a dent in your crimes against humanity and a final act of contrition, kill yourself by blowing up a convention of like-minded individuals.

It's none of your damn business what other people do with THEIR bodies, you fucking obsessive, nosy freak.

How about you worry about fixing whatever the FUCK is wrong with YOU that made you feel the need to stick your hideous nose into other peoples' private business. What makes you think you can judge, since you're obviously ugly as fuck on the inside it doesn't MATTER what you look like on the outside.

KILL YOURSELF YOU PIECE OF FILTH.

Then maybe the dreams of daddy fucking you and telling you you're a pretty girl will stop.

This post is disgusting. I, as a transman, find this to be utterly repulsive. Misogynistic? Fuck off. I'm a male stuck in a female body and though I love women, don't get me wrong, I want to be in the body that I feel that I belong in. Top surgery is something that I want because I want to be comfortable in my own skin. I want to start testosterone because I want to hear and see and feel myself change into who I am supposed to be. I want bottom surgery because I want what I feel I should have. I have struggled with anorexia in the past and let me just tell you right fucking now that anorexia and being transgender is NOTHING alike. Is this supposed to be some feminist kick? I'm a fucking feminist and I think this is bullshit. This is fucking misandry. It's disgusting to read this and I feel so sorry that you believe this. I really hope that you figure some shit out because this is fucked up. Completely, completely fucked up. You don't understand what it's like to be someone like us, you don't understand what it's like to feel trapped in the wrong fucking body your whole goddamn life. So back the fuck up. This isn't some misogynistic stunt on our parts, this is us being true to our fucking selves. At least we have the fucking guts.

Okay, as a transman, this post actually makes a lot of sense. While I don't agree with the opinions about top surgery, well, that's what they are: opinions. I, however, do agree with the fact that the trans community is shit and people need to stop encouraging it to young minded fucks who whine about everything. If you're a real man, quit bitching about stupid shit. Dirt, you're great. You're not pointing hate towards trans people. You're pointing out how stupid and ridiculous the community is.

I came across this blog post because the image was a top hit for "female to male top surgery" in Google. I clicked through out of curiosity, and I'm disappointed with the civility of the debate here.

As a feminist, egalitarian, abuse survivor, and an androgyne (3rd gender), I've also struggled with eating disorders, self-injury, and depression, and I have been in therapy where I have indeed been challenged for my desire to undergo surgery, so I think I'm qualified to weight in on this topic.

I can see where feminists are coming from - wanting women to have positive body images, and accepting their feminine beauty. I've also personally experienced what it's like to feel I'm "in the wrong skin" and desperately wanting my body to match my inner sense of identity.

I don't worry about "passing" or "fooling" anyone into thinking I'm male or female. I dress how I want to dress and if that confuses someone (and it often does) that's ok. Their feelings are their own. As long as they don't try to force their discomfort onto me, it doesn't matter, and it shouldn't matter.

I have also been in a relationship for the past two years with someone who isn't bothered by my intent to have chest surgery. He says he loves me, not my chest, and will continue to love me no matter what I decide to do. I think the trans community, and the pansexual community are in the same line on this point - just wanting someone who will love you for who you are rather than what kind of bits you have underneath.

And if you look for recent FTM blogs that are an outgrowth of this trend toward acceptance that is so ridiculed here, you'll find happy, healthy, well-adjusted trans individuals who don't regret their temporary scars, and who have posted pictures of themselves 5 years later with a blemish-free, healthy physique very similar to the one posted. Their blogs should at least be considered as evidence for the positive emotional changes brought on by pursuing and undergoing surgery.

The American Psychiatric Association also changed their category of "Gender Identity Disorder" to "Gender Dysphoria" in accordance with extensive work and research on their part. Any contemporary debate on this topic (noting that this blog post is from 2010) should take the field professionals' opinions into consideration as well.

this honestly makes me want to cry. i'm sorry that you don't understand this, but i think if you did understand this, the feeling of hating how you look,and feeling dicusted in you own skin, you would never have writtn this. this is painful for me to read. i understand you are against body modification because i assume you just want people to be comfortable and know how beautiful they are and that they dont need to change, but that's non of your buisness. everyone is beautiful, but if someone is uncomfortable, don't tell them they shouldn't be because that wont change anything. at the end of the day, no matter how many times my friends tell me they love me and compliment my makeup, i will always pull at my sleevees and tug at my thighs and sigh before i go to bed because i'm not a boy. and you can tell me wanting to be a boy is misogynistic but it's not. wanting to be what makes you comfortable is not racist, homophobic, misogynistic, or anything. wanting to be comfortable and doing whatever you can to be comfortable is not offensive to anyone, because it isn't any of their buisness anyways. not to mention the women who are women and get top surgeries do to back problems. or cancer. what about these women? do they have a distorted vision aswell? to end this all i have to say is that i don't call you lazy when you put on sweatpants, so don't call me misogynistic and distorted when i put on a binder and schedual my sugery.

You might want to examine why you feel that way a little more closely.

There is vast difference in NOT wanting to be you and wanting to be someone else. There is also a critical difference in being uncomfortable and being dysphoria-BOTH however can be over come with drugs and surgeries or any trans delusions.

It's not the same as anorexia, for one, it's not killing anybody. You don't understand how painful it is to go through life with these body parts that you don't want, that seem wrong on you. Top surgery helps with our dysphoria, it makes us happier. I, for one, can't wait to have top surgery and feel more like the man I know I am, and I know I'm going to be more than proud of my scars (which btw heal over time, if ya didn't know)One last thing, how the hell is it misogynistic?

The only way being trans is life threatening, is because some people hate their body so much, it drives them towards suicide. But, surgery normally fixes that. It makes them fell less dysphoric and hate their body less

Transition actually INCREASES dysphoria and add other aspects of dysphoria that didnt exist previously. Dysphoria isnt cured or lessened by life threatening drugs and mutilative surgeries. Dysphoria where it truly exists diminishes with awareness, living in your body and love.

Dirt, nope! When you said "dysphoria where it truest exists diminishes with awareness, living in your body and love" is not at all what medical professionals or any transmen or transwomen found true at all.

It is painful to real how many comments by you and others here are ignorant of the truth.

Someone mentioned the DSM5, the change from GID to dysphoria. What isn't mentioned is that the only reason that transgender was in the DSM so long was insurance. Unfortunately we live in the US with a healthcare system with s lot of flaws.

To get insurance companies to pay for transition related surgery or medication (not all transgender folks want these), they have required us to diagnosis a mental or physical danger to a person. In the not too distant past DSM, the books used to diagnose mental health issues, insurance required a person to say they wanted to commit suicide and hate their bodies in order to be labeled true transsexual and be covered. There were many people denied help because they did not want to kill themselves or hate themselves, but still needed the hormones and/or surgeries. Some lies that they did want to kill them selves to get what they needed, so adding to their clinical profiles something medically untrue.

This is why medical professionals, not insurance companies and not unlicensed hyper-feminists who fear/hate men, provide much better advice.

One thing I think today really helps teenagers with dysphoria is hormone blockers. This simply stops puberty for a few years and gives them more time to decide if they really want to transition hormonally or not. As long as hormones are taken before age 21 the full effects should be no top surgery needed for transmen, and both transmen and transwomen who received blockers before puberty onset and then go on replacement therapy should result in having the results of appearing fully female.

I have found that most people who have dysphoria (at any age, some transition as elderly people) are very well self educated, have thought a long time about what they needed to do, and if it was not needed would not transition. What else I've noticed is that there is a lack of education of the public of many things, perhaps purposefully, including the existence of intersex, to make everyone assume there is only two things: man or woman, left or right, good or bad, etc. It seems that when people are ignorant because of accidental or prevention of education they become sure of their beliefs being correct, and try very hard to impose those beliefs onto others to conform to the rules they believe in.

The results are the anti bathroom bills when it comes to gender, and the irony that hyperfemist leftist radical lesbians ally with alt-right and far right radical conservatives to use fear that all men are rapists (including little boys) and the notion women are all frail victims to prevent transgender women and transgender little girls from using the women's restrooms.

The blog of 2010 has seen a lot of post replies. As time moved on a lot of anti LGBTQ likely used it for backing up their hate. The lesbians of this discussion who refuse to open their minds to learn about transmen and women, to respect them as the gender they say they are, are harming the whole community. But then again, there are bad eggs in every group.

Drawing an equivalency between anorexics and ftm trans people is... odd. Yes, both groups experience dysphoria, but the health outcomes for an anorexic starving themselves is, well, death, whereas an ftm male getting top surgery is not any more dangerous than a breast reduction for cosmetic purposes or a double mastectomy for a cancer patient. And while anorexia is characterized by continuing anxiety and dysphoria, for ftm males the dysphoria is significantly reduced (if not eliminated) once the breasts are no longer there. Honestly, since the procedure doesn't harm anyone, I don't see why you have such a negative attitude towards it.

I think your mixing two different things... Body dysphoria is a mental illness that is formed from society and experiences causing people to starve themselves, not something you are born with, but when it comes to gender dysphoria its more like you were born with your mind programmed to have a different body than the body you were born with. If any of you were "scientists" than shouldn't you know this? I think its fine if your not a fan of trans but if you did proper research you would realize that doctors haven't found a cure for it because your brain was programmed that way, as in there is nothing wrong with them and no amount of pills will fix it. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/gender-dysphoria#1 Please read this article, it's filled with fact based knowledge from real scientists about what gender dysphoria truly is :)

haha wow seeing this article takes me back to when i was in about 7th or 8th grade (12-13 years old, a child), first found out about top surgery, became so overwhelmed with happiness that i started crying, started looking more into it, and landed here. the feeling this "article" gives me to this day (about 6 years later) still makes me feel nauseous. shit like this crushed me, and only worsened my dysphoria & the urge to end my life. haha!